When picking up milk this morning I asked about the shelves the farmer is using and he doesn't know what kind of wood it is. He's using them for ages and all he knows is that it isn't oak, beech or pine. Once in a while it's cleaned with bleach and once a year they are taken outside to clean them with a hard brush and abrasive. But remember, no natural rinds are used, all is coated...

"Abondance, a name-controlled cheese from the Savoy region of France, is made with fresh partially-skimmed milk and formed into 20-pound wheels. Aged for three months on spruce planks, the cheese is repeatedly washed with a saltwater brine to develop the natural rind. This extraordinary cheese is similar to Gruyere de Comte, but more complex and buttery. It has a firm texture, nutty flavor, and a distinctive fruitiness. While the strong aroma of this cheese may be a bit off-putting, the flavor is divine. In addition to being a delicious table cheese, Abondance melts nicely and is often substituted for Raclette."

I read this weekend an article about allergies and the fact that the amount of people that are having an allergy (specially for different kind of foods) is raising sky-high in the "civilized world".As one of the main reason for this was mentioned that "modern" people are not enough exposed to yeasts and bacteria that used to be quite common. A statistically proofed fact here in the Netherlands is that children raised on farms suffer less from allergies than children raised in cities...

You have a good point there, Herman. All my grandchildren and their little friends seem to be allergic to this, that or the other.

The way I explain is that, when I was a young boy in the 1940s, my family was just too poor to afford allergies; if something was there to be eaten you ate it and you asked for more! We also played outside a lot, got filthy dirty (and got walloped for it), got cuts and grazes and a liberal dose of dirt in them yet remained obstinately healthy!

Back when I was growing up, we'd play outside until it got dark and Mom called us in to supper. We ate and fell asleep exhausted from our "play". If we got a scrape, we might have gotten a Band-Aid...maybe not. We exercised through this "play", slept sell, and ate unadulterated and little-processed food. That's another area where we humans have done ourselves a disservice: processed foods. Instead of fast food, kids (and adults) should be eating slow food.

@ Boofer, yeah my childhood was like that too. Outside playing all the time, mostly in the woods. My brother and I played mountain man using sticks for our long rifles. We got called in for dinner and sometimes went back outside to play. We got dirty, built forts, had plenty of scrapes and bruises. My great grandmother used to say that a child had to have consumed a pound of dirt to become an adult. (not all at one time though!) Actually, I remember playing house with my older brother. I'd be the housewife baking (mud) cookies, serving him (mud) coffee and (mud) cakes, etc. My children played in the dirt a lot. They also learned about anatomy from the guts of chickens on butchering days. That was the life! I wish children these days had less scheduled activities and more time to find out what they really felt like doing and then doing it.

Yes, those were the days, my friend... I grew up in a real town (The Hague) but as a child of "the working class". I was playing outside whenever it was possible, went fishing outside of town, playing football (sorry, soccer) and getting dirty. During the summer (and often at Eastern) I spend my holidays on the farm of my uncle and aunt, helping with the cows, sheep and digging up bulbs. I'm living now in what's about the last street in our village and I'm making sure my kids also play outside as much as possible. Yes, they watch TV, play or their Wii or DS, but they have limited "screen-time" per day...